This is my first attempt at DIY camera stabiliser or 'steadicam'. The idea is that it gives a smooth, cinematic feel to your footage and adds production value to any film. While the many of the materials I used are not copied from anyone, the rough design is based around the 'Merlin' and was inspired by various Youtube Channels. I am not claiming to have invented it.

It is very much cobbled together from bits I found in my Dads shed plus a small number of ebay purchases. The general principles are simple with a multidirectional U-joint acting as a gimbal, with a counter-weighted frame around it. The key part of the design is the gimbal and I used a traxxas 5151 U-joint (primary use is on R/C units) which was around £8 online. To go with this I found an old skateboard bearing to allow panning and secured this into a plumbing pipe coupler for the handle. Once attached to the frame, which is from the legs of a fold out sofa bed, (thank you to Ben Morrison), it was then a case of attaching the camera and counter weights.

I used a macro-slider rail to mount the camera, again about £10 online, as this gives flexibility when balancing the device. I also purchased a quickrelease plate purely for speed and convenience of attaching the camera. It worked well without this but it is now more efficient to set up. For the counterweights I used large washers on machine bolts and attached them to the frame in various ways, including conduit saddle joints. A lot of trial error went in to working out how many washers I needed to balance the rig with a Canon 5D mark iii on it. Anyway that's enough of me harping on, here is the first test footage, theres more to come as I am using the rig in various upcoming productions. As you will see I didn't quite have the hang of it during the first outing, but you get the idea!